IndyCar Series: Season preview

The second year of peace in North American open-wheel racing begins on the streets of St. Petersburg this weekend. Matt Beer examines the state of play 12 months on from unification

One year on from unification and in a perfect world the IndyCar Series would be striding forward with a packed grid of talented drivers, a schedule combining the best Champ Car tracks with the established IndyCar dates, an exciting new technical package on the horizon, and starting to regain the ground lost to NASCAR during the split.

But when the Indy Racing League and Champ Car came together to start a bright new future last spring, they did not count on the world economy nosediving just as they hoped to be gaining momentum.